LITTLE SIR CAT
Little Sir Cat Saves the Pussy from the Well
"Ding, dong bell,
Pussy's in the well!"
When Little Sir Cat heard that he whipped up Dapple Gray and pretty soon he came to a crowd of people standing around an old well. Just then a crooked-nosed man let down the water bucket and pussy crawled in and was lifted up dripping wet, but still alive.
"Where is the naughty boy who put her in?" asked Little Sir Cat. But nobody knew. I guess he had run away, as bad boys generally do after they have done something they know is wrong.
"Give her to me," said Little Sir Cat, and he started to ride away when Little Polly Flinders who sat among the cinders said, "I'll take her home and warm her by my fire!"
All of a sudden, a regiment of soldiers came by. And when the Lord High General saw Little Sir Cat, he came forward and said, "Will you play the little drum for us?" And what do you think this little kitten replied? You know already, I'm sure, but I'll tell you just the same.
LITTLE SIR CAT SAVES THE PUSSY FROM THE WELL
"Yes, my Lord," he answered, and then the leader of the fife and drum corps handed him a little drum, and Little Sir Cat started right in to play just like a regular drummer boy. And the way he made that little drum sound was just wonderful. The whole regiment began to cheer, and one big captain said, "Three cheers and two tigers for Little Sir Cat!"
And, goodness me, the cheers that went up from that regiment were heard all over Mother Goose Land and everybody asked everybody else what was the matter, and the little yellow bird, whose name I'm going to tell you some day, told them it was for Little Sir Cat. Then all the Mother Goose People began to cheer and when the regiment heard them, they asked what was the matter, and the little yellow bird told them who were cheering.
Wasn't that a wonderful little bird?
Diddle Dum! Diddle Dum!
Went the little drum,
As Little Sir Cat marched off to war
Beating the drum sticks o'er and o'er.
Pretty soon they came in sight of the enemy, and all the big guns were rushed to the high places and the infantry spread out in long, thin lines, with the cavalry in the rear. All of a sudden the bullets sputtered and the big shells screamed, and, oh, dear me, the little drum couldn't be heard at all, although Little Sir Cat beat on it with all his might. By and by the enemy ran away. Then the tents were set up and the field where they had been fighting looked like a tented city, only it didn't have any little church or school house.
At last, when everything was quiet, the general pinned a gold medal on Little Sir Cat, who felt very proud, and told his little drummer not to be afraid for he would never let the enemy get him.
And pretty soon you will find another story—unless—
The postman in the morning
Gives me a candy pill,
And the doctor sends me a valentine
Instead of a great big bill.
[A LITTLE GIRL'S DIARY]
Tuesday
I love her on Tuesday
As she irons smooth and clean
Her little dolly's dresses
With the tucks and frills between.
Tuesday, directly after lunch, I play with my doll's house. You see, I have all the work to do for Dolly, and so I take out the clothes from the basket in the doll's house kitchen, and smooth them out, ready for ironing. There is a cunning little ironing board, besides two small irons, for "Ironing Day." There are lots of things to iron, all Dolly's table linen and the cute little sheets and pillow cases and towels, too. Oh, dear me! Sometimes I feel that Mother has a pretty hard time with our big house when I see how it bothers me to keep Dolly's house in perfect order.
Sometimes, before I have finished, my little friend Eleanor Gray will come in, and want me to go out with her. Then we both take our hoops and go to the park and play all afternoon. As soon as I get home I put Dolly to bed, before I have my own supper, because if I don't, very often I haven't time to attend to her afterwards and she has to sit up all night, which must be very tiresome even for a doll.
[BILLY LOVES CANDY]
Billy was only five years old, but he had learned to like candy! You small boys who are hearing this read to you needn't look surprised. It probably was very natural to you to like candy, but that is no reason why Billy didn't have to learn. He first began on a peppermint stick; one of those lovely sticks with red lines running curly upwards, and white inside, with hollow tubes running through, so that you can suck an orange with it—well, it was just this sort of a stick that Billy first tasted, and at first he didn't like it, but as he got a taste almost every day, he finally was just as fond of it as was his little master. There, I have let the cat out of the bag, or the dog—and there is no use in my telling any more of this story, for you know all about it now. That is, you know who Billy is, and that's all there really is to this tale of a little dog.
[DICK'S VALENTINE]
The front doorbell rang furiously and Mary, knowing that it was snowing and blowing a gale outside, answered the ring as fast as she was able.
Two shivering little figures stood upon the doorstep, one a small boy, 10 or 12 years of age, who surveyed her a moment quite as coolly as she surveyed him. Deliberately stepping into the lighted hallway, he dragged with him his little companion, a shivering mite of a girl, almost hidden in the folds of a ragged coat. This coat he suddenly jerked from her shoulders, saying:
"Here's a valentine for the lady wot lives here!" Then, turning, he ran rapidly down the steps and disappeared around the corner into the snowy darkness.
Aunt Dorothy at that moment entered the hall, but, before she had time to speak the little waif thrust a piece of paper into, her hand, with the simple explanation, "Dick writ it."
Aunt Dorothy took the crumpled note and unfolded it carefully. After a few minutes she managed to read the scrawling letters:
"This little girl ain't got no folks and no place to stay; so she's been staying in a box with straw in it with me nights. I've fetched her to be your valentine. She's hungry.
"Dick."
Aunt Dorothy's eyes filled with tears. "Mary, take the child into the kitchen and give her something to eat. I will come presently and perhaps I can find out what is the best thing to do."
Mary led her down the hall.
"A valentine!" she ejaculated. "Blest if I don't think this is the queerest piece of business I ever seen!" Her manner softened a little as she watched the greediness with which the child devoured the big slice of bread and butter, and when Aunt Dorothy came down she found her "valentine" seated in Mary's own rocking chair before the fire, while Mary herself, down on the floor, had the almost frozen feet in her lap.
Aunt Dorothy sat down near them and watched Mary for a few minutes in silence. "Now that you feel better, my child, tell me where you live?"
"I don't live nowhere," answered the child, "'cept with Dick—he's got a big box with straw in it. I crawled in one night after they took father away—the police, you know."
Aunt Dorothy sighed, "Give her a warm bath, Mary, and make a bed on the lounge in my room. I will try to find something which will do for a nightdress."
The poor little, wondering child was soon wrapped in a warm shawl and curled down on the lounge. Suddenly she raised herself on her elbow:
"Dick said there was angels that lived somewhere and took care of folks. Are you one of them?"
"No, no, child," said Aunt Dorothy gently, "I am only Aunt Dorothy. Go to sleep."
"Yes'm; but I do wish Dick was a valentine, too! It's very cold in his box."
Aunt Dorothy and Mary sat up late that night hastily making warm garments for the small mite; but they considered themselves well repaid by the delight with which they were put on in the morning. While the happy little waif was taking her breakfast in the kitchen the bell rang, and when Mary answered the ring she found Dick standing in the doorstep. He shambled bashfully in, and in a moment the child's arms were around his neck and her face pressed close against his cold and grimy one.
When Aunt Dorothy came down she found her "valentine"-bringer refreshed by a breakfast the like of which he had never before tasted, sitting by the fire with the "valentine" at his side. Dick rose as she entered, still holding both of the little hands of his small companion.
"I ain't got much to tell you, ma'am. I'm Dick the boot-black, an' this here little girl I found one night last week. Me and Joe Rafferty had been to a movin' picture show, and when I comes out it was late an' pretty cold, so I runs all the way to the box. The box is a big box down by Higley's warehouse, an' I sleep in it. An' I finds this little girl a-curled up in it asleep. I felt kinder sorry for so small a mite, so I covered her up with some old carpet rags.
"I seen folks sendin' valentines for presents an' thought some one ought to like a little girl better than a picture. I seen you one day, ma'am, give a lame man some money, an' I followed and seen where you lived. An' I says to myself if you was so kind to a man you'd be kind to a little girl that had no one but me to look after her."
"I think I'll keep my valentine, Dick," she answered, looking into the fire with a smile. "I never heard of sending one back, I believe. And I think I'll send one myself too. I will give you a letter to a man who I think will give you a position as an errand boy." And so Dick had a good job as a messenger boy in a big dry goods house, where he grew up to be a very useful man.
[THE ALPHABET ANIMAL CIRCUS]
Jamie has been studying his alphabet all the morning, but somehow the letters got twisted and wouldn't follow each other in their regular order. By and by mother said: "Let us wait awhile; perhaps the letters will come more easily to my little boy if he takes a rest now."
So Jamie ran out to play and soon forgot all about the alphabet. But that night, after he had fallen asleep, he had a most wonderful time. All the alphabet letters came trooping into his little bed and said to him, "Jamie, come with us to the Circus!" And pretty soon he found himself in a big white tent. All of a sudden the Letters ran together, and, jumping on top of one another, formed themselves into a lion.
Jamie clapped his hands and laughed outright. At this, all the letters tumbled down, and, calling to him to follow, jumped into the ring and made a giant rooster.
"Hurrah!" cried Jamie, "you're the most wonderful alphabet I ever saw!"
"Glad you think so!" cried the Letters, and then they all tumbled apart and raced across the tanbark floor. He followed as fast as his legs would take him, when, all of a sudden, a funny little squeak made him turn his head. Some of the alphabet letters had formed themselves into a queer little pig, who cried, "This little pig went to market," but when Jamie ran up to play with him all the letters jumped apart and scampered away. "Come, we'll show you the man who owns the circus!" After much scrambling and climbing on their part, the circus owner appeared, wearing a high silk hat.
Jamie had hardly time to bow politely, when all the letters tumbled apart and there stood a great, big elephant. But, goodness me! In another minute the elephant fell apart and again the Letters shouted, "Follow us, Jamie!" and away they raced, and before he could stop he bumped into a tall giraffe.
"Oh, what fun!" cried Jamie. "I wonder what will happen next?"
"Hello, my little man!" cried a voice close at hand. Jamie looked around and there stood the Alphabet Clown smiling at him.
"How do you do, Sir!" answered Jamie.
"Here are the pictures of my two brothers," said the Alphabet Clown, showing Jamie two photographs; "there weren't enough letters to go around, so when I'm acting, I just show their pictures, and when they are acting, they show mine." No sooner had he finished speaking than the Alphabet Letters tumbled apart, and the clown disappeared.
A big rhinoceros next came into view as the Alphabet Letters kept up their merry pranks. By this time, Jamie was hardly surprised at anything, his friends, the Alphabet Letters, were doing so many funny things.
"Tickets!" cried a voice at his side. A little Alphabet Man sitting on an Alphabet Chair looked at Jamie as if expecting him to hand over his ticket at once. Just as he was about to explain how the Letters had brought him to the circus, the little man fell apart, and all the Letters laughed and said, "Never mind your ticket, Jamie—follow us!"
"Bow-wow!" said the little Alphabet Dog as Jamie ran up to pat him. "Don't turn into letters just yet," he begged, giving the little dog a hug, but with a merry laugh the Letters jumped apart and Jamie saw a pretty horse, who lifted his right fore leg to shake hands with him. But the Alphabet Horse lasted no longer than the other animals, and the next instant a funny man, with a big E for his eye and nose and a capital C for his mouth and chin, and a big D for his cap, stood before him. A big V made the front of his coat and vest, and a capital I his back, while a large W and X made a pair of funny legs.
"I wonder who he is?" thought Jamie.
"I'm the Lion Tamer," answered the man, as if reading the little boy's thoughts.
"Are you?" said Jamie. "I saw your lion the first thing—just as I came into the tent. Aren't you afraid you'll lose him?"
"I'm more afraid he'll lose me," replied the Lion Tamer. He was quite right, for at that instant the Alphabet Letters fell apart and a pretty girl stood in his place.
"I'm the Circus Queen, little Jamie," she said with a smile, and then she gave him an alphabet kiss, which looked just like the letter O, I guess. And then the Letters tumbled apart and the Circus Queen disappeared.
But they were not idle, these wonderful Alphabet Letters. They ran ahead for a little way and then, all of a sudden, arranged themselves into a beautiful white cow, which looked to Jamie very much like the one in Mr. Jones' big pasture.
"Where's Mother?" cried a loud voice, and Jamie saw a small elephant looking anxiously about. A big J made a most beautiful trunk, while a capital M served for two sturdy legs. An S made a nice tail, and the other letters finished his body very satisfactorily.
"You'd better hurry," advised Jamie, "or the first thing you know the Letters will get tired of making you an elephant, and turn into some other sort of animal."
And Jamie was right, for the next instant there was no little elephant, but instead, a quiet looking camel, with two big humps.
In a few minutes, the camel, too, disappeared, and the wonderful Alphabet Letters ran over to the other side of the tent, and the next thing Jamie saw was a funny little man whose make-up consisted of only a few big letters, but who nevertheless seemed a very important person. He stood just outside of a door over which was printed in big red letters,
"Come to the 'Alphabet Moving Pictures,'" he called out. "Come and see 'Alphabet Movies'!" Upon a big white screen the letters of the alphabet arranged themselves into a wonderful picture of Washington Crossing the Delaware. Jamie clapped his hands. Then the next picture came along, as his friends, the Alphabet Letters, jumped down and without any confusion re-arranged themselves. The next picture was very wonderful—George Washington planting the British Flag at Fort Duquesne. Jamie made up his mind to ask Mother when he got home all about it. In a jiffy, the Letters again fell apart, and a picture, which little Jamie could understand much better, was shown. "Hurray! Mother Goose!" shouted Jamie, kicking up his feet so high that down fell the big white circus tent, and he awoke to find himself in his own little bed, with his feet up underneath the sheet, holding it up just like the tent where the Alphabet Letters had done all the funny things.
Jamie rubbed his eyes, just as Mother came in. "Well, I guess I'll know my alphabet to-day," he said. After breakfast he told Mother where he had been, and when she asked him to say his alphabet, he recited it without a miss.
"Wasn't it lucky I went to the circus with the "'Alphabet Letters'?" he asked, and Mother said it certainly was.